Bloodsucking fiends: a love story

kissed his ear.
    "It was a fight, Tommy. I didn't come or anything, but I swear, I felt stronger after I… after I swallowed."
    "So that's why you were all crusty with blood when I got home?"
    "Yes, it was almost dawn when I got the body upstairs."
    "That's another thing," Tommy said. "Why did you bring that stinky thing up here?"
    "The police already found one body at the motel, and they have my name. Now they find another that was killed in the same way right next to where we live. I don't think they'd understand."
    "So we're going to keep it in the freezer?"
    "Just until I figure out what to do with him."
    "I'm not comfortable with you calling it 'him.' "
    "Just until I figure out what to do with it , then."
    "There's a big bay out there."
    "And how would you suggest that we get it down there without being seen?"
    "I'll think about it."
    Jody stood, wrapped a towel around herself, and walked back to the bedroom. "I'm going to put it in now; you might want to transfer your TV dinners." She paused at the door. "And I'm out of clean clothes. You're going to need to go to the Laundromat."
    "Why don't you go?"
    Jody regarded him gravely. "Tommy, you know I can't go out during the day."
    "Oh no," Tommy said. "Don't pull that. I don't know of a single Laundromat that's not open all night. Besides, I can't be your slave full-time. I have to have some time to get some writing done. And I might be taking on a student."
    "What kind of student?"
    "A guy at work – Simon – he can't read. I'm going to offer to teach him."
    "That's sweet of you," Jody said. She shook her hair out, let her towel fall to the floor, and struck a centerfold pose. "Are you sure you don't want to do the laundry?"
    "No way. You have no power over me."
    "Are you sure?" She licked her lips sensually. "That's not what you said in the shower."
    I will resist her evil, Tommy thought. I will not give in. He stood and started gathering his clothes. "Don't you have a body to move?"
    "All right then," Jody snapped. "I'll do the laundry while you're at work tonight." She turned and went into the bedroom.
    "Good. I'll be out here looking for some tasty bugs," Tommy whispered to himself.
    Midnight found Jody trudging down the steps with a trash bag full of laundry slung across her back. As she stepped onto the sidewalk and turned to lock the door she realized that she hadn't the slightest idea where to find a Laundromat in this neighborhood. The rolling steel door to the foundry was open and the two burly sculptors were working inside, bracing a man-sized plaster mold for pouring. She considered asking them for directions, but thought it might be better to wait and meet them when she was with Tommy. The interior of the foundry was glowing red with the heat from the molten bronze in the crucible, making it appear to her heat-sensitive vision like hell's own studio.
    She stood for a moment watching waves of heat spill out the top of the door, to swirl and dissipate in the night sky like dying paisley ghosts. She wanted to turn to someone and share the experience, but of course there was no one, and if there had been, they wouldn't have been able to see what she saw.
    She thought, In the kingdom of the blind, a one-eyed man can get pretty lonely.
    She sighed heavily and was starting toward Market Street when she heard a sharp staccato tapping of toenails at her heels. She dropped the laundry and wheeled around. A Boston terrier growled and snorted at her, then backed away a few feet and fell into a yapping fit that bordered on canine apoplexy, his bug eyes threatening to pop out of his head.
    "Bummer, stop that!" came a shout from the corner.
    Jody looked up to see a grizzled old man in an overcoat coming toward her wearing a saucepan on his head and carrying a wickedly pointed wooden sword. A golden retriever trotted along beside him, a smaller saucepan strapped to his head and two garbage-can lids strapped to his sides, giving the impression of a compact furry Viking ship.
    "Bummer, come back here."
    The little dog backed away a few more steps, then turned and ran back to the man. Jody noticed that the little dog had a miniature pie pan strapped over his ears with a rubber band.
    The old man picked up the terrier in his free hand and trotted up to Jody. "I'm very sorry," he said. "The troops are girded for battle, but I fear they are a bit too eager to engage. Are you all right?"
    Jody smiled. "I'm fine. Just a little startled."
    The old man bowed. "Allow me to